may 2013 edition

PREPPREPNEWSNEWSROCKHURST HIGH SCHOOL 9301 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO 64114 May 10, 2013

Volume 70 Issue 8www.prepnews.org

Starting next year, the athlet-

ic administration will have new

leadership in multiple positions.

For the 2013-2014 school

year, Mr. Michael Dierks, head

��Ƥ��coach, will take up the position

of athletic director as Mr. Pete

Campbell, the current director,

steps down to become the head

basketball coach.

Through a chain of events

that began with Mr. Mark Nus-

baum, former head basketball

coach, announcing his retire-

ment from the sport, Mr. Camp-

bell was named the new head

coach and Mr. Dierks was ap-

proached about

the athletic di-

rector job. After

meeting with

Mr. Greg Hark-

ness, principal,

Mr. Dierks took

some time of re-

ƪ�� then ready to commit to the job,

although it means he will have to

step down from his position as

newspaper adviser.

“I’ve been at Rockhurst for

18 years. My work has been very

student-centered so far, and it is

time for me to try something a

��ơ��ǡǳ��Ǥ��Ǥ��Mr. Campbell, who has served

as director for six years, was the

third athletic director to serve on

the Greenlease campus after Mr.

Al Davis and Mr. Doug Bruce. As

�� Ƥ�� ǡ�Mr. Dierks, a former Rockhurst

athlete himself, is eager and hon-

ored.

“Athletics is a proud tradi-

tion. I’m a part of that, and I’m

a product of it, so there’s excite-

�� ǡǳ�Mr. Dierks said.

An important goal of Mr. Di-

erks’ as he moves into this new

position is to emphasize that

athletics should continue to be

extensions of Rockhurst’s Jesuit

ideals and of the classroom.

The assistant athletic director

position will also have a new face

next year. Mr. Brian Bruce, class

of 1997, will be taking the role

with the movement of Mr. Matt

Darby, current assistant, to the

dean of students position.

Mr. Bruce has roots in the

position; his father, Mr. Doug

Bruce, was the athletic director

from 1990 to 2007. He grew up

in the halls of Rockhurst, follow-

ing his dad around.

“It gives me an extreme sense

of pride to follow in [my father’s]

footsteps and create my own

chapters to add to the Bruce leg-

��ǡǳ��Ǥ��Ǥ��Mr. Campbell, though he will

miss his job as athletic director,

is very excited about the time he

will have freed up to spend with

his family. He also looks forward

to shifting his focus to primarily

basketball and has faith that his

former job is in good hands.

“[Mr. Dierks] is very orga-

nized, very detailed; he’s got

a good relationship with the

coaches... Honestly I couldn’t

��Ƥ��ǡǳ��Ǥ��Ǥ��

hanges at Rockhursthanges at C

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Former athlete takes over AD spot

Hank Elbert

[email protected]

Mr. Greg Harkness, principal, sits behind

an enormous wooden desk in the Principal’s

�ƥ��Ǥ� � �� ƪ��through cyberspace to reach his computer,

and thousands of phone calls and messages

have made the black phone on the desk ring,

and thousands of papers have crossed the

face of that desk awaiting Mr. Harkness’s at-

tention.

An undivided attention is paid to each

one of them, but only a select few get a very

special kind of attention.

Somewhere in or on top of Mr. Harkness’

��Ƥ��Ǧitude from past students and good friends. It

��Ƥ�� Ǧ��Ǥ��ǡ��Ƥ��

why Mr. Harkness does what he does, and proof

that he does it very well.

Mr. Harkness keeps the folder as a reminder

and even something of a pick-me-up when his

��Ǧ�� ƥ��ƥ��Ǥ�

drug testing Cafeteria

iPads

Hurtado

Scholars

Schedule

science requirements

Curriculumnew

administrative

positions

School announces new AD, more

faculty changes

page 6Everyone has heard of his nickname “Big Red,” but check out Meredith’s story and journey to Rockhurst on

David MeredithCheck out the five page Senior Section, including the Rockhurst Man, college decision list, and more on

pages 7-11

Senior Section

Ignatian values driving changes

PREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREP19942013

PREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPPREPA

LO

OK

IN

TO

OUR

PAST USING THE DEVICES O

F TH

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RE

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NT

John Berrigan

[email protected]

Principal leads

with facilitation,

cooperation

Mr. Michael Dierks

JUMPtopg. 4

PNEWS2 May 10, 2013

Pastoral officeto get new council

ew PastoralNȈ� ��Ǧ��

��Ǧ��

Ȉ� ��Ǧ��Ǧ��

Starting next fall, the pastoral

department will have a new hier-

archy because of changes that

are being made to the pastoral

council.

The new pastoral council will

have two senior co-chairs and

six to nine underclassman rep-

r e s e n t a t i v e s .

The department

will retain most

of the same re-

s p o n s i b i l i t i e s

of planning all

school and class

liturgies. How-

ever, because

Mr. Tom Nor-

man is leaving

after this year,

the department

will have new

challenges in

Ƥ�� ǡ�lectors and gift

bearers that have been primarily

made up of students in Mr. Nor-

man’s liturgy and worship class

in the past.

“With Mr. Norman leaving, it

felt like the right time to make a

change, but the change is not be-

cause the old way didn’t work,”

Mr. Matt Nickson, assistant pas-

toral director, said.

Juniors Andrew Hawkins and

Shea McEnerney have been ap-

pointed as the two co-chairs

through a closed application

process. The applications for the

underclassmen representatives

were also closed.

“I would like to see the appli-

cations be open to all students,

but for the next couple of years

while this council is still new the

application will stay closed,” Fr.

Joseph Laramie, pastoral direc-

tor, said.

In addition

to directing the

Masses, the

council will be in

charge of plan-

ning the new

sophomore re-

treat and the

Examens on Fri-

days and every

day during Ad-

vent and Lent.

While the

council’s main

jobs are not

changing drasti-

cally, the coun-

cil will also focus on the personal

faith journey of the members

through in-house retreats and

��ƪ��Ǥ�� Ƥ��the end of this school year and at

the beginning of the next.

“I’m very excited to see

where this pastoral department

��ơ��own faith life and the faith life of

my fellow students,” McEnerney

said.

Whit Collins

[email protected]

Experiencing it allThis summer, sophomores will

visit Robbins, Tenn. to work on a

Habitat for Humanity project.

Tennessee

Located in east Kansas City, Mo.,

the Upper Room is where students

will predominantly be serving for

the T.I.E. Kansas City retreat.

Kansas City

This past spring break, students

visited Punta Gorda, Belize where

they worked with Jesuit missions.

Belize

Tijuana, Mexico is the location for

the newest T.I.E. retreat, where

students will help to build housing

and do other work.

Tijuana

This summer many students

will attend the annual T.I.E.

(Total Ignatian Experience) re-

treats. The retreats will take

place in Kansas City, Mo., Rob-

bins, Tenn. and Tijuana, Mexico.

“I believe it’s our job as Chris-

tians to do service and help out

those in need all around us,” Mr.

Marvin Grilliot, director of Igna-

tian service, said. “This is a great

way to understand and experi-

ence true poverty.”

This year, students attending

the retreat in Kansas City will be

going to the Upper Room, which

is a place where young students

go to improve their reading skills.

In Tennessee, retreatants will

participate in a project for Habi-

tat for Humanity, an organiza-

tion that builds “simple, decent,

�ơ�� Ǧship with people in need.” The

��Ƥ��introduced by Mr. Greg Hark-

ness, principal, after seeing the

program thrive at Xavier High

School in New York.

Tijuana, located just south

of San Diego, Calif., is the site

for one of the two internation-

al T.I.E. retreats for this year.

Students visited Punta Gorda,

Belize this past spring break to

work with Jesuit missions. Stu-

dents will do work through an

organization called Esperanza

de Vida in Tijuana. This orga-

nization is very similar to Habi-

tat for Humanity and aims to

achieve much of the same goals.

Tijuana will have 12 students,

while Kansas City and Tennessee

will have 20 and 42 students, re-

spectively.

ǲ�� Ƥ�� Ǧmend [T.I.E. retreats] to any-

one. It’s a great way to do ser-

vice and gives you a chance to

get closer to the guys who are

going with you,” senior Joseph

Simon, former T.I.E. Tennessee

member, said. “The memories I

made on the trip are ones that

��Ƥ��me for a long time.”

Trips offer chance to serve

John Avery

[email protected]

Order Mike Savage’s

“Spirit of the Rock”

Order prints from

www.memorymon-

eymaker.com by

May 13 and 30 per-

cent of the sales go

to Rockhurst!

These prints

make great gifts

for birthdays,

Christmas, or

even graduation!

Image courtesy of Google Maps Image courtesy of Google Maps Image courtesy of Google Maps

Image courtesy of Google Maps

PPNN May 10, 2013 NEWS 3

New SGA members electedPresident Senior Class

President

Senior Class

Vice President

Second semester finals scheduleENGLISH DEPARTMENT

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Matthew Brocato Jack Hilliard Nile Cobb John Rebein

John Avery

[email protected]

Looking

at seniors’

futures

As I depart from the Rock, I’ve been wondering where all of us will end up in 10 years. So I decided, with the advice of fel-low senior Joey Luber, to pre-dict where some seniors might end up as we all part ways from Rockhurst... So without further ado, welcome, ladies and gentle-��ǡ��ǡ� �� Ƥ��ever “most likely to be” awards, given out to a few deserving se-niors...

The most likely to become a successful entrepreneur award goes to, no surprise here, Hunt-er Seabaugh. The “Rock State” sunglasses were simple, yet ��Ǥ� �� Ƥ�� $1500 for the idea and made last-ing business connections.

The most likely to become a Jesuit award goes to both Hank Elbert and David Wilcox. The pas-��ƥ��Ǧond home. These guys live and breathe Jesuit phrases.

The most likely to get “card-ed” his entire life award goes to Carl Nelson. Not much descrip-tion needed here.

The most likely to go into the Professional Bowling As-sociation, (PBA) is awarded to Rob Beers. With a lifetime sports bowling average of 170, Beers was more than deserving of the senior class physical education award that he received. I’m just waiting for the day that I see him throwing a strike in a commercial on ESPN for the PBA.

The award for the most likely to end up looking exactly like Mr. Rich Sullivan, college placement counselor, goes to Stephen Lawson. They have that same curly hair, have similar clothes, and have the exact same kind of walk. I swear, just look at them in the hallways.

�� Ƥ�� they were separated at birth award goes to Brennan Lee and Jay Lee. They are essentially identical twins... I’m just waiting ��Ƥ��Ǥ

��ǡ� ��Ƥ�� ǡ�the most likely senior to have an overall happy life goes to Robbie Thompson. I have never heard one complaint or negative thing said about Robbie and I’ve gone to school with him since kinder-garten. Just look at the guy and his hair and try not to smile; it’s impossible.

Extravagant. That’s really the only way I can describe it. The Great Gatsby takes the concept of “over-the-top” to a whole new level. The whole ��Ƥ��with pomp and circumstance. I mean, considering I was don-

ning a tan sweater vest and just happened to be seated next to Mr. Shawn Edwards, FOX 4 movie critic, this whole pre-screening experience was starting to make me feel very prestigious.

I even fancied myself somewhat akin to James Bond when the movie personnel said we would be “ejected from the theater” if we were caught with our phones or any ��Ǥ��ơ��phone deep in my pockets, gingerly placed my 3D glasses over my eyes and proceeded to watch one of the coolest introductions I’ve ever seen.

The movie that followed didn’t disap-point. With wonderful performances from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, the movie is a shoo-in for some awards. Even better, Tobey Maguire didn’t man-��Ƥ��ǡ��surprise.

While acting is obviously an integral part of a movie, where Gatsby shined was in the production. The high-quality video editing, extensive environment and wonderful score (produced by Jay-Z) helped draw me into ��Ƥ��Ǥ��times throughout the movie by the utter ��ǲ��ơ�ǳ��Ǥ��Ƥ��tale of The Great Gatsby into two and a half hours of beauty.

In closing, if there was anything wrong with The Great Gatsby, it’s that it was too ��Ǥ��ǡ��Ƥ��version of the novel involves a man going far and beyond to impress a girl, in that ��ǡ��Ƥ��Ǥ

Frank Evans:

a bit over-the-top

All I felt as I walked out of the Olathe 30 was disapoint-ment. It might be my fault, though. I over-hyped yet another movie —something I do too often. One would think

I would learn by now. The movie was stunning and beautiful,

and I enjoyed it. It just wasn’t what I expect-ed nor wanted. Because I’m a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s cautionary tale of greed and excess in the declining American Empire, I wanted a seamless and perfect adaptation, but it wasn’t.

The story line follows the friendship between the mysterious and eccentric Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Nick Car-raway (Tobey Maguire), a struggling bonds salesman who moves into the dilapidated groundskeeper’s house adjacent to Gatsby’s mansion in West Egg, a “new money” neighborhood outside New York City. As the movie progresses, Carraway learns that Gatsby is only using him to get to his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), a beauti-��ƪ��from an “old money” family who resides across the bay in East Egg.

��Ƥ��Ǥ��Baz Luhrmann’s display of color in the sharp contrast between the properties of East and West Egg with the Valley of Ashes is breath-taking. However, at times, the colors and camera angles were headache-inducing.

The Jay-Z produced soundtrack is one ��Ƥ��ǯ��Ǥ��songs add a modern twist to the music of the roaring twenties. The rap music did not feel out of place like I thought it would.

While I was disappointed overall, by no ��Ƥ��ǡ��Ǥ��Ƥ��Ǧ��ǡ�especially Gatsby fans—just be wary of too-high expectations.

Whit Collins: not

up to expectations

Like the dreams of its title character, Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby ��Ȅ��ƪ��unabashedly. The Great Gatsby is a visual (and highly virtual) rhapsody of exuberant color

and sweeping cinematography that revels in (and relies upon) its drowning decadence.

Because it’s easy to be swept away by lush fantasy, The Great Gatsby is at its most �ơ��Ǧtion reign supreme. The party sequences (enthralling with pipe organ and zebra) are astonishingly bombastic, and the sepia-��ƪ��heightened sense of elegance and drama. Like an impressionist painting adorning the walls of Gatsby’s mansion, these scenes paint bold swaths of emotion and romance across Luhrmann’s lavish 3D canvas.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, however, is a novel of subtle stroke and quiet ambigu-ity—two elements notably absent from this ��Ƥ��Ǥ��room for uncertainty as his surprisingly and paradoxically faithful adaptation steamrolls forward.

�� ǫ��Ƥ��portrays him with unyielding sympathy. Wondering why Nick Carraway tells this ��ǫ��Ƥ��back-story and narrative frame—sort of. Questioning the motives of Daisy Buchanan ��ǯ��ǫ��Ƥ��ơ��Ƥ��Ȅand many more besides.

Some loss in translation is inevitable, of course, when adapting a novel for the screen, but the lack of ambiguity in the story ��ƫ��presumptuous and excessive.

Not, I suspect, the excess Luhrmann was looking for.

Mr. Daniel Hrdlicka:

beautiful, baffling

Vanity

Fair

By: Van Schloegel

PFORUM4 May 10, 2013

PNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNPNDisclaimer

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John AveryJohn BerriganCo Editor-in-ChiefVan SchloegelCo Editor-in-Chief

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www.prepnews.orgDistributed to students free of charge

Volume 70, Issue 8

May 10, 2013

Joseph Caruso, Samuel Clifton, Andrew Dakan, Peter Daly, Jack Franken, Robert Healy, Robert Hilliard,

Carson Jones, Brendan McCann, Jack McHugh, Hudson O’Neill, Nicholas Privitera, Connor Proch-now, Nicholas Romano, Alexander Stubbendieck,

Matthew Watz

Newspaper I

Mr. Daniel HrdlickaNI Adviser

Just

how

great

is...

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ drama The Great Gatsby.

The long-awaited film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby comes out today. Three Prep News writers got an early look at the film.

Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker and Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ drama The Great Gatsby.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby “always looks so cool.”

Conversations open the doors to change

If ever a whisper of doubt or despair is to

creep into his head, Mr. Harkness can take out

��ƪ��Ǥ��ǯ�� ƪ��Ǥ� ��ǯ��Ǥ�� ǯ��

�� Ǥ��Ǥ��ǯ��-ful past brought him to the seat behind that big

�� ǯ�� ƥ��ǡ� �� conversational leadership and fearlessness in the

��on the future of Rockhurst High School.

Before coming to Rockhurst, Mr. Harkness

�� teacher to administrator at Xavier High School in

New York, N.Y.

� ��Ǥ� ��ǯ� �� attracted to his personable approach and care

for each student. He also worked for a time as

��-

�� brilliance in conversation and advice.

“We used to call him ‘Uncle Greg’ here [at

�� Ȑ� �� ǯ�� ǯ��Ǣ� �� ǯ��ǯ��Ǥ��ǡ��Ǥ��had no problem coming up to Mr. Harkness with

a problem, whether it be academic or personal

��ǡǳ��Ǥ�Michael LiVigni, Xavier High School headmaster

and longtime friend of Mr. Harkness, said.

During his time as dean of academics at Xavi-

er, he continued to be someone students could

approach to talk. While at Xavier, Mr. Harkness

developed a strong group of close friends in

��Ǥ��Ǥ��Ǥ�� ơ��Ǥ

Rockhurst High School, Mr. Harkness’ alma

mater, had an opening at the principal posi-

tion. Rockhurst was on a short list of schools

to which he’d leave Xavier to go. After much

��ƪ��ǡ��Ǥ� �� ǡ�but he didn’t leave without reservations. When

Mr. Harkness left New York and came back to his

��ǡ��ǡ��Ǥ� �� was his vocation.

ǲ��Ǥ�� ƪ�� ǡ��ǯ��Ǥ��ǡ��I was at Xavier... Sometimes it’s good to be un-

��ǳ��Ǥ��ǤAt such a critical time in his life Mr. Harkness

�� ƪ�� Ƥ�� ǡ�which illustrates his trust and belief in the Ignatian

method.

Mr. Harkness has

used the Ignatian

method in more places

than during his deci-

sion to come to Rock-

��Ǥ� �� Ignatian method is

how Mr. Harkness has led Rockhurst through the

��Ȅ��ƪ��Ǥ��Ƥ��ǡ��Ǥ��

his hometown, and while the roads were all the

same, a lot had changed. His time as a newcomer

��Ǥ��Ƥ��was going to set and what conversations he was

going to start.

ǲ��ơ��Ƥ��-��ǡ��-

��Ǥ��Ǥ��ǡ�Ǯ��ǡ��ǡ��ǯ��about it. Let’s see if this is what we need to talk

��ǡǯǳ��Ǥ��Ǥ�All of the areas, Mr. Harkness noted, weren’t

�� ǡ��ǡ��Ǥ��

�� and power, but Mr. Harkness’ preferred method

�� ǡ� �� -

��ơ��Ǥ� � �� ǡ��Ǥ��Ǥ��

ǲ��-

tor. I do like to empower the people; I like to lis-

ten to the voices. I don’t like to keep things secret

��ǯ��Ǥ��ƪ��Ǥ��we have to take turns being the center of the V,

��ǡ��ǯ��ǡǳ��Ǥ��Ǥ��

�� -

umental decisions that will shape Rockhurst’s

future. Drug testing, schedule changes, the

Hurtado Scholars Program, the cafeteria renova-

��ǡ��Ǥ��ǯ��ǡ��both Dr. Seabaugh and Mr. McGannon were all

at one point just conversations that Mr. Harkness

and the school administration began. According

��Ǥ��ǡ��Ȅ��Ȅ��chance that caused all of the events to happen in

��ǤIn none

of those

cases was

there an ex-

ecutive de-

cision made

��Ǥ��-

ness. In-

��ǡ� �� Ƥ�� -Ƥ�� Ǥ��ǡ��ƪ�� ǡ� �� ƪ��a decision made.

ǲ��ǣ��this context that we all have the experience of

��Ǥ��ƪ��ǡ��then we moved to some kind of action. I think he

ȏ��Ǥ��Ȑ��ǡ� Ǯ��ǯ��ǡ��ƪ��ǡ��ǯ��move to action, and the most important part of

�� ƪ��ǡǯǳ� �Ǥ� � �� ǡ� � ǡ�president, said.

��Ǥ��ǡ��ơ��-tration make the right decisions.

�� ǡ�Mr. Harkness and the school have not stopped

looking towards the future.

ǲ�� -

suit schools are lights on a hill that are so bright

��ǡ��ǯ��to do is to see ourselves as a beacon to welcome

�� ǡǳ��Ǥ�� Ǥ� � ǲ�ǯ�� doing service but for the school itself to look at

��ǡ�Ǯ��ǡ��ǫ��ǫǯ��-

��ƪ��Ǥǳ��

�� ǡ� �� Ǥ�� ǡ��ƪ��make the right decision.

ǲ��ǯ��ǡǳ��Ǥ��Ǥ�

Top Left: Speaking at Mom Prom, Mr. Greg Harkness addresses those in attendance.

Photo by Charlie Gotschall. Top Right: Mr. Harkness works diligently at his desk. Photo

by Van Schloegel. Bottom Left: Mr. Harkness talks to Mr. Joe Anello, class of 2012,

prior to the gradutaion ceremony at the Music Hall last year. Photo by Rudy Rodriguez.

Fr. Terrence Baum, S.J., President

PPNN FEATURES5May 10, 2013

Innovative principal uses vision to improve

JUMPpg. 1from

PFEATURES6 May 10, 2013

Big name, big heart, BIG RED

Ben Burch

[email protected]

As time winds down in the third quarter of the Rockhurst vs. Blue Springs football game, senior Austin Ritter, punter, sends a punt soaring deep into Blue Springs territory. Less than a second after the oppos-ing punt returner catches and cradles the ball, the Rockhurst special teams unit swarms him, dropping him for no gain.

While the special teams play-ers celebrate their well-execut-ed play, a chant booms from the Rockhurst student section. But despite their appreciation for these players, this chant is for someone who watched the play from the sideline.

“B-I-G! R-E-D!”Standing with helmet in

hand, senior David Meredith bashfully looks down as the chant resonates behind him, his face showing a slight hue of red to match his hair. Meredith keeps his back turned to the crowd for a few seconds, shak-ing his head and chuckling to himself. But he knows what his classmates want, so turning to-ward the crowd, Meredith gives a quick point to the student sec-tion.

As the student section erupts with cheering and clapping,

Meredith turns back around and makes his way toward a special teams player to congratulate him on his great play.

Meredith has become somewhat of a celebrity at Rock-hurst; a majority of people in the school know who he is, what he looks like, and even what his famous nickname is: “Big Red.” But Meredith isn’t the typ-ical high school celebrity. He’s not the star of any sports teams, he’s not the president of SGA, or a leader on the Spirit club. What Meredith is is a person with a unique, genuine personality, one that has stayed constant since ��Ƥ��Ǥ��for his fellow classmates, that’s been enough to bring Meredith so much attention.

“Everybody knows Big Red because he’s Big Red. There’s really no other way to explain it,” senior Steven Blando said.

Coming to Rockhurst as the only student from Xavier Middle School, Meredith knew next to nobody when he began his freshman year. But Meredith didn’t let this stop him from in-troducing himself to nearly ev-ery freshman classmate he came in contact with. His openness, along with his nickname, caught

the attention of many.

“I just went up to all kinds of people and said ‘Hey, you can call me Big Red,’ and it just kind of blew up,” Meredith said.

Determined to branch out, Meredith began to get involved at Rockhurst. As a freshman, he would become a freshman A football player, a member of the �� Ƥ�� ǡ� ��of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club, and an avid partici-

pant in the choir. During practic-es, games, meetings and events for these various activities, Mer-edith continued to actively get to know as many people as pos-sible.

By the end of his freshman year, Meredith would have ��Ǧ�� Ƥ�� Ǧlow classmate that didn’t know him. And as he continued on through high school, playing football, throwing shot put for ��Ƥ��Ǧticipating in choir all four years, Meredith began to grow friend-ships as his kindness and care for others began to show through.

“I just treat everyone as they are,” Meredith said. “I respect everyone, and no matter what, I see everyone as equals.”

�� Ƥ�� Ǧteresting about Meredith has been the constance of his per-sonality. While many classmates ��Ƥ��the homogeneous high school

mold or to pursue popularity, Meredith continued to be the same friendly, genuine person that he was as a freshman.

“I’m pretty much the same person [I was freshman year],” Meredith said. “I don’t try to be someone I’m not.”

In his pursuit of just being himself, Meredith stumbled upon a school-wide popularity that, among other things, has gotten him his own chant, a chant that can be heard almost every school event that Mer-edith attends.

And while many may have gotten tired of the nicknames, the chants or the attention if they were in his position, Mer-edith admits he never has.

“I love it... I think it’s awe-some,” Meredith said.

Student finds personal direction at RockhurstJack McHugh

[email protected]

While most students might worry about being caught in the halls by Mr. David Alvey, dean of students, or one of their teach-ers, senior Rudy Rodriguez has to watch out for his father. Mr.Rudy Rodriguez Sr. is a member ��ơ� �� school.

“He has a knack for catching me out of class or with my shirt untucked and will always tell me ��Ƥ�� ǡǳ�Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez can feel the pres-ence of his family at Rockhurst, literally. But in a broader sense, the Rockhurst community has acted as family to Rodriguez, giving him opportunities to im-pact his own life as well as the lives of others.

Rodriguez admits he was a “young punk” entering the school as a freshman, coming from a rough grade school with a graduating class of just 12 stu-dents. Also, because he grew up in a household with a Catho-

lic father, Jewish brother, and a Seventh-Day Adventist mother Rodriguez had developed few personal beliefs for himself.

“I had no views on anything, really,” Rodriguez said.

Throughout his freshman classes, especially theology with Mr. Luke McClellan, Rodriguez found direction both in his faith and academic life. He realized the importance of succeeding in school and discovered the Chris-tian ideal of putting one’s self in the shoes of another to under-stand his problems.

“I learned a lot about just be-ing human in this world,” Rodri-guez said.

Outside of school, Rodriguez �� Ƥ�� Ǧtion, identifying himself as a Seventh-Day Adventist. Sev-enth-Day Adventism is a Prot-estant Christian denomination with beliefs rooted in the Scrip-tures. As a practicing member, Rodriguez does not eat pork and lives a “straight-edge” life-style, refraining from alcohol or drug use.

Rockhurst’s Catholic teach-ings have not fought the teach-

ings of Rodriguez’s personal religion–rather, the two com-plement each other. In fact, he decided to be baptized in the Adventist Church after his expe-rience on the Kairos retreat his junior year.

“Jesus is Jesus. We shouldn’t care what religion people are,” Rodriguez said. “Just because Rockhurst is a Catholic school doesn’t mean its ideals won’t ��ơ� ��Ǥǳ

Around the school itself, Ro-driguez is involved in the Human Dignity Club and is photo editor for the yearbook. He has taken thousands of photos of Rock-hurst events, often stepping in ��Ƥ��Ǥ

“When something doesn’t get covered by one of our pho-tography students, Rudy is al-ways there to pick that up,” Mr. Daniel Hrdlicka, yearbook ad-viser, said.

He often works the Justice �� ơ�� in the Barry Commons on late start days, trying to collect do-nations for the group’s spon-sored child overseas. Although he originally joined the club to

�� ơ��ǡ� �� realized the impact the club had on the life of a young boy thou-sands of miles away.

“I started understanding that Rockhurst does a lot of good when one of the boys we sponsor sent us a letter telling us about how much we have helped him,” Rodriguez said. “We are club of under 20

Senior embodies

heart of school

kids, and we have changed this kid’s life. I like that about Rock-hurst.”

In the fall, Rodriguez will be-gin classes at Union College in Lincoln, Neb. His father won’t be there to tell him to go to ��ǡ� �� ƪ��ǡ� �� ƪ�� Ǧhurst community, will likely fol-low him.

Speaking about a mission trip, senior Rudy Rodriguez shares his expi-ences with the school

Left: Senior David Meredith prepares to throw shot put at the Shawnee Mission South track meet. Right: Singing in a concert, Meredith has been a choir member all four years at Rockhurst.

Austin Loeher

Andrew Jones Bryan Melland

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#LASTGREATCLASS2013 Senior Section

19942013

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Class of 2013College list

Travis James Able ..................................University of Central ArkansasHenry Davidson Adams..............................................Tulane UniversityColin Michael Amick....................................Oklahoma State UniversityAlec Taylor Arand....................................University of Central MissouriVictor Cortez Armstrong............................................Donnelly College��Ƥ�ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��John Anthony Avery............................................Saint Louis UniversityDaniel William Baker........................................Kansas State UniversitySamuel John Baker..............................University of Missouri ColumbiaNathaniel Cole Banderas.....................University of Missouri ColumbiaJohn Patrick Barry.................................................Creighton UniversityMack Grayson Bartle...........................United States Military AcademyDavid Joshua Beck................................................Creighton UniversityRobert William Beers.......................University of Missouri, Kansas CityLouis Elliott Behnen................................................Bucknell UniversityMatthew Stephen Bernard..........................................Drake UniversityJohn Patrick Berrigan......................................Northeastern UniversityNicholas Gene Betts............................University of Missouri Columbia��ƥ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Matthew Joseph Black........................................Saint Louis UniversityJoseph Robert Blake.............................................University of KansasAaron Johnson Blanck..........................................Creighton UniversitySteven Christopher Blando................................University of ArkansasRyan Alexander Blickhan.....................University of Missouri ColumbiaXavier James Boerger...................................................Avila UniversityRalph Joseph Bondon...........................................Rockhurst UniversityPeter Henry Bosma....................................................Baylor UniversityThomas Kenner Bowers...................................Kansas State UniversityVictor Joseph Brancato...........................University of Central MissouriJames Edward Brazeal..................................Texas Christian UniversityEvan Parker Brown................................................University of KansasPatrick James Browne...........................................University of KansasBenjamin James Burch..........................................University of KansasJacob Thomas Burke......................................Missouri State UniversityWilliam Patrick Byrne.....Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-FloridaConnor James Cavanaugh.............................Texas Christian UniversityMichael Adrian Cesena.....................................Kansas State UniversityArjuna Prahalad Chatrathi..............................Northwestern UniversitySamuel Richard Chibnall...........................................Alleghany College �ơ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Brandon Hunter Christianson...............University of Missouri ColumbiaJordan Hunter Churchill.........................................University of KansasMichael Thomas Clauss.............................................Allegheny CollegeAndrew Whitney Collins........................................University of KansasAndrew Tighe Connor............................................University of KansasBrian Thomas Connor..........................University of Missouri ColumbiaJohn Patrick Coughlin........................................John Carroll UniversityJohn Patrick Cuddy..............................University of Missouri ColumbiaBrennen Lee Cutler.....................................Colorado Mountain College

Todd Andrew Czinege............................................Villanova University��ƥ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Drew Alexander Daniels.........................United States Naval AcademyChristian David Davenport.....................Blue River Community CollegeAddison John Degen.............................................University of KansasJoseph Anthony DiGiovanni..................................Rockhurst UniversityKevin William Doherty............................................University of Dallas�� ơ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Harry Thomas Donaldson.....................University of Missouri ColumbiaMichael Joseph Donaldson....................................University of KansasJames Henry Donnelly....................................Miami University, OxfordConnor Stephen Dorman.......................................University of KansasKevin Riley Dunn.................................................Saint Louis UniversityHenry Paul Elbert..................................................Creighton UniversityBrooks Christopher Elder..................................Kansas State UniversityJourdan Andrew Ellis.............................................Hampton UniversityRobert Joseph Englert..................................Loyola University ChicagoFrank Thomas Evans.........................................Kansas State UniversityBryan Douglas Ezell..........................................Kansas State UniversitySean Conner Finn................................................University of VermontGalen Barret Fiss...................................................University of KansasTyler Christian Flanagin........................University of Missouri ColumbiaGeorge Andrew Fowler........................University of Missouri ColumbiaJohn Gregory Fox..........................................University of Notre DameRobert Meyer Freeman..........................................Benedictine CollegeAndrew Paul Garcia..........................University of Missouri, Kansas CityLorenzo Elijah Gatapia..........................Loyola University New OrleansChristopher Michael Gates....................................Rockhurst UniversityEmmanuel Joseph Gelvin.....................University of Missouri ColumbiaJoseph Munjak Gibson...........................................University of KansasThomas Darby Gibson...........................................University of KansasDavid Joseph Gillcrist.....Missouri University of Science and TechnologyJacob Dean Goe................................................Kansas State UniversityGrant Thomas Gotschall......................University of Missouri ColumbiaLogan Alexander Gray...............................Austin Peay State UniversityWilliam Augustus Gude........................................Iowa State UniversityMarques Sean Guess...................................Oklahoma State UniversityAndrew Joseph Hall.............................University of Missouri ColumbiaTimothy Zachariah Hannon...............University of Nebraska at LincolnStephen Peter Hart..............................University of Missouri ColumbiaKevin Mark Hart, Jr..........................................Truman State UniversityAbram Jorden Hawkins....................University of Missouri, Kansas CityNicholas Benjamin Hense..............................University of Notre DameConnor Eugene Heying..........................................University of KansasAndrew David Hill.................................................Rockhurst UniversityAugust James Hodes....................................The University of AlabamaMitchell George Holland........................................University of Kansas ��Ƥ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ ��Trey Langston House..............................University of Central Missouri

Joseph Gerard Huber............................................Rockhurst UniversityWilliam Tyler Ismert.............................University of Missouri ColumbiaGiamo Alberto Jackson-Carter.............................................UndecidedConnor Montgomery Johnson...............................University of Kansas�� ơ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Michael Anthony Jones........................University of Missouri ColumbiaNicholas Charles Jones.....................................Kansas State UniversityAndrew Wyatt Jurden.................................Manhattan School of MusicAlexander Lee Benjamin Kahn..............................University of DenverCody Thomas Kandt.........................................Kansas State UniversityConner Robert Kane..............................................University of Kansas Thomas Patrick Keller..........................University of Missouri ColumbiaEthan Walter Kemp...............................................University of KansasCecil Charles Keyes...............................................University of KansasSung Wan Kim................................................Northwestern UniversityKevin Patrick Kirk..................United States Merchant Marine AcademyColton Andre Koeniguer...............................................Duke UniversityDaniel Emmett Krouse..........................................University of KansasConnor George Kuhlmann...................University of Missouri ColumbiaAlexander William Lackey........................University of Central MissouriJake Joseph Lamb.................................................University of KansasJohn Bowman Lanning........................United States Military AcademyJohn Harrison Lanning.........................University of Missouri ColumbiaAnthony Lamont Lashley.....................................................UndecidedSteve Nathanial Lawson................................Texas Christian UniversityBrennan William Lee.....................................University of Notre DameSang Seung Lee...................................................................UndecidedMark Vincent Lehr.........Missouri University of Science and TechnologyThomas Arthur Leis............................................University of ArkansasMaxwell Phillip Linscott.......................University of Missouri ColumbiaGarrett Paul Loehr................................................Rockhurst UniversityPaul Zachary Logan...............................................University of KansasAlexander James Lombardo.....................Claremont McKenna CollegeBrandon Joseph Luber...........................................University of KansasMax Anthony Maiale......................................Miami University, OxfordWilliam Burke Maloney............................University of Central MissouriBrendan Joseph Marquart....................University of Missouri ColumbiaKyle Joseph Marra...............................University of Missouri ColumbiaJulian AlexZander Marshall...........................Loyola University ChicagoAndrew Michael Martucci....................University of Missouri ColumbiaHenry John David Mascaux...............................Kansas State UniversitySage Phillip Mason................................................University of KansasGregory John Massman.................................Texas Christian UniversityJonathan Michael Mayer......................University of Missouri ColumbiaWilliam Anthony McCann.................................Kansas State UniversityTimothy Steven McFarland..................University of Missouri ColumbiaDrew Joseph McLoughlin..............................Texas Christian UniversityGarrett Joshua McMindes..........................................Purdue UniversityDaniel Patrick Mendenhall...............................Kansas State University

David Robert Meredith.....................................Kansas State University �ơ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Daniel Easton Mitchell..........................................Rockhurst UniversityJohn Weston Mitchell.........................................University of ArkansasJustin Adrian Mitchell............................................University of KansasAlexander Kumar Mitra.........................................University of Kansas�� ơ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Michael Alexander Moncure......................................Purdue UniversityMalcolm Maurice Moses...................................University of RochesterJohn Martin Mullen..............................University of Missouri ColumbiaMichael Terrance Mullen II..................................University of ArkansasCarl Richard Nelson......................................................Regis UniversityZachariah E. Nelson......................Johnson County Community CollegeJason Thomas Dunn Nix.......................United States Military AcademyBrody Lee Nutt..............................................Texas Christian UniversityChristopher Rex Randall Oest...............................................UndecidedLukas Andrew Ohnemus........................................University of KansasMichael Patrick O’Laughlin...............................Kansas State UniversityRiley Christian Orscheln......................................University of ArkansasJoseph Raymond Ostrander............................Miami University, OxfordColin McNeile O’Sullivan..............................................Regis UniversityDaniel Joseph Pericich...........................................University of KansasEric Ayodele Perry II........................................Missouri State University �� ơ�ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Ƥ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Spencer Ryan Prather........................................United States Air ForceDalton Bastiaan Prins............................................University of Kansas Reed Anthony Ptomey........................................University of ArkansasJohn David Quinly................................University of Missouri ColumbiaDevin Patrick Quinn..........................................Kansas State UniversityMichael Francis Reardon.......................................University of DenverBenjamin Alexander Redmond......................Pittsburg State UniversityJames Arthur Richards..................................................Avila UniversityTimothy John Richards..........................................University of KansasConor Riley Riggs..........................Columbus State Community CollegeAustin James Ritter................................................Benedictine CollegeRudy Alexander Rodriguez, Jr..........................................Union CollegeLeate Anthony Rogers.................................Oklahoma State UniversityBlake Thomas Rose................................................University of KansasNicholas Atiya Saleh..............................................University of Kansas��ơ�ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��ƫ��ǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤǤ��Nicholas Fisher Schell.....................................Miami University, OxfordVan Ambrose Schloegel.......................................Marquette UniversityJacob Douglas Scovell...................................Texas Christian UniversityHunter Evan Seabaugh..........................................University of KansasThomas Everett Seitz...........................University of Missouri ColumbiaDavis Anthony Shealy.................................Mississippi State UniversityConner McCarthy Sherman...................................University of Kansas

Ian Christopher Siercks....................................Truman State UniversityDaniel Siguenza...................................................................UndecidedJoseph Thomas Simon....................................Miami University, OxfordJonathan Lee Sinclair.....Missouri University of Science and TechnologyJoshua Clinton Smith...........................University of Missouri ColumbiaPeter Benjamin Snider..........................................Marquette UniversityZachary Thomas Snodell.......................................University of KansasAdam Christopher Spangler..................Southern Methodist UniversityWilliam Paxson St. Clair.........................................University of KansasCurran Joseph Steck............................University of Missouri ColumbiaDylan Joseph Stoetzer.............................University of Central MissouriZachary Sonny Stollman........................Pace University, New York CityGabriel Joseph Stueve.....................University of Missouri, Kansas CityJohn Patrick Sullivan.............................................University of KansasDaniel Patrick Summers........................................University of KansasRobert William Thompson..............................Miami University, OxfordMatthew Aldridge Tomelleri..................................University of KansasJulian Cesar Torres..............................................University of ArkansasChaz Michael Trujillo............................University of Missouri ColumbiaAndrew William Van Buskirk.............................................Knox CollegeWilliam Wang VanAlst.....................................................Ithaca CollegeDavid Wayne Vaughn, Jr..........................University of Central MissouriIan E.W. Von Fange...........................................University of RochesterBrian William Wade..............................University of Missouri, St. LouisWilliam Joseph Walton.................................Columbia College ChicagoMatthew William Wasche................Independence Community CollegeMatthew Thomas Watson.....................................................UndecidedChase Benton Watt...............................................Murray State CollegeAndrew Christopher Watts.....................Southern Methodist UniversityBrady Stephen Weinrich.....................................University of ArkansasPeter Joseph Wendland..................................Miami University, OxfordDalton James White.............................University of Missouri ColumbiaDavid Sidney Wilcox II..........................................................UndecidedMcKale Weaver Wiley.............................................University of KansasBradley Wayne Wilkins. Jr...............................................Luther CollegeBrandon Christopher Williams.............................Saint Louis UniversityGeorge Marshall Williams.....................University of Missouri ColumbiaZayne Scott Williams............................University of Missouri ColumbiaJordan Johnthan Willis......................................Kansas State UniversityJohn Randall Willnauer......................................Kansas State UniversityIsaac M. Wilmot....................................................Iowa State UniversityCameron Lamonte Winston....................Fort Scott Community CollegeKyle Gregory Wolf....................................University of Central MissouriTrevor Alonzo-Cole Young.................University of Missouri, Kansas CityDaniel Zachary Zima..............................................University of KansasIsaac James Zorn..........................................................Messiah College

8-9May 10, 2013

#LASTGREATCLASSWe use Facebook every day to connect with old friends, browse through pictures of acquaintances and tell others what is going on in our own lives.

2013 Senior Section1

99

4

1995 1996

1997

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

O.J. Simpson arrested in kill-

ings of wife and friend Ronald

Goldman.

June 18

April 29

April 19

September 1 April 10

August 31

May 14

April 20

July 10

January December 13

April 9

February 1

South Africa holds Ƥ��

election. Nelson Mandela elected

president.

Oklahoma City fed-

eral building bombing, killing 168,

injuring over 800.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

opens in Cleveland, Ohio.

Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot four times in

drive-by shooting.

September 13

President Clinton

puts ban on late-term abortions.

November 1

January 21

December 31

November 30November 7-8

September 11

Princess Diana dies.

The movie Titanic is released and

became the high-��Ƥ��

of the time.

President Clinton is ac-

with Monica Lewinsky.

76 million watch ��Ƥ��

of Seinfeld. People fear the Armaggedon

projected to occur known as the Y2K event, where all

electronic devices fail.

2 students storm Col-

umbine High School in Little-ton, CO, killing 13 people and themselves.

Bush wins election by

closest margin in decades.

Mad cow disease

alarms Eu-rope.

Al-Qaeda crash planes into the World Trade Center in NYC killing 2996 people.

Stem cell research

begins to make developments in search for

cures.

North Korea admits to develop-ing nuclear arms in

Church sex-abuse scan-dals create

resignations in the U.S.

Baghdad falls to U.S. troops. Sad-dam Hussein is

captured.Space shuttle Columbia explodes, killing all 7

astronauts.

2013 Mission Week Board Game State Championship Basketball Game

I thought that the Batman chant was immensely exciting because it was something unique to the class of 2013.

'ƌŝĸ��Ŷ��ŝŶƐ

When Henry came out dressed as Bane, it was amazing because we got all or-ganized without the help of the faculty, which really united the senior class.

:ŽŚŶ��ĂƌƌǇ

<ĞǀŝŶ��ŽŚĞƌƚǇThe Bane part of the board game was awe-some because it was our whole grade doing something together. Plus, we ended up winning the board game which added to the ĞŶƟ�ƌĞ�ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ

EŝĐŬ�,ĞŶƐĞBy winning state, we achieved something that simply started as a dream but through ŚĂƌĚ�ǁŽƌŬ�ĂŶĚ�ĚĞĚŝĐĂƟ�ŽŶ�ďĞĐĂŵĞ�Ă�ƌĞĂůŝƚǇ

/ƚ�ǁĂƐ�ƚŚĞ�ĐƌĂǌŝĞƐƚ�ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ�ŽĨ�ŵǇ�ůŝĨĞ�/ƚ�ǁĂƐ�ĐůŽƐĞ�ƚŚĞ�ĞŶƟ�ƌĞ�ǁĂǇ�dŚĞŶ�ǁŚĞŶ�ǁĞ�Į�ŶĂůůǇ�ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ�ƉƵůůŝŶŐ�ĂǁĂǇ�ƚŚĞ�ĐƌŽǁĚ�ũƵƐƚ�came alive, and we were all screaming as loud as possible. It was the most fun I’ve ever had

:ŽĞ�KƐƚƌĂŶĚĞƌ

,ƵŶƚĞƌ�^ĞĂďĂƵŐŚtĞ�ǁŽŶ�ƐƚĂƚĞ�ĨŽƌ�ƚŚĞ�Į�ƌƐƚ�Ɵ�ŵĞ�ŝŶ�ŽǀĞƌ�ϮϬ�years, which is such a cool thing to brag about. Plus we were able to celebrate with ŽƵƌ�ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ�ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ�ĂůŵŽƐƚ�ƚŚĞ�ĞŶƟ�ƌĞ�ƚĞĂŵ�was seniors.

1998

10 May 10, 2013

#LASTGREATCLASS2013 Senior Section

2004 2005 2006

2007 2008

May 17

April 2-24

August 23-30

July 7 July 31

December 30

January 4

April 7December 13

November 4

Hurricane Katrina ravages the Gulf coast, destroying

thousands of homes.

Pope John Paul II dies, Pope Bene-dict XVI becomes

the next pope.

London hit by Islamic terrorist

bombings, killing 52 and wounding

over 700. Iran develops enriched uranium

and becomes a big nuclear threat.

Saddam Hussein is hanged.

Nancy Pelosi ��Ƥ��female speaker of

the House.

Mitchell Report accuses 89 cur-rent and former

MLB players of il-legal performance

enhancers.

Barack Obama becomes the Ƥ��Ǧ��president.

Kansas Jay-hawks defeat the Memphis Tigers in OT,

75-68.

Gay mar-riage is

legalized in Massachu-setts, the Ƥ��

do so.

��ƥ��

Like Comment

��ƥ��With several critical kicks since sophomore year, senior ��ƥ��foot to help bring the Rockhurst football team many a clutch kick.

��

��Senior Kyle Wolf,

Gatorade Missouri Boys Basketball

player of the year, led the basketball ��Ƥ��

state championship in over 20 years.

Constant practice has given him one

of the best shots in Missouri.

��

�� No one represents the spirit of ‘2013 quite like senior David Meredith. Be it a big smile or kind words, “Big Red” can ��Ƥ��brighten the day of his senior classmates.

��

��On the ��Ƥ��basketball court, senior Tom Keller could always be counted on to catch a pass or snag a rebound. His role in the seniors’ athletic suc-cess cannot be ignored.

��

��No senior singer has garnered more accolades than senior Drew Jurden. From his work in theater productions to his standout place in the choir, Jurden’s strong and notable voice earns him the mouth of our class.

��Just feel it and you’ll know. The Prep News’s very own ǲ��ǳ��the Rock for his famously soft locks.

��

��

�� The kid runs a 4:24 mile... need we say

more? Okay we will. He’s also been

a part of a state champion relay

team and four state chamption swim

��Ǥ��ǯ��running in college

next year.

��Ǧing involved in nearly all facets of the school, senior John Fox ��ǯ��ơ� ��Ǥ��Ǥ��Ǥ��Yeah, he’s got quite a brain.

��

��

�� You’d be hard ��Ƥ��many folks stronger than senior Henry Mascaux. These arms that Mascaux por-trayed as Bane during the Mission Week Board Game are the pipes we all wish we had.

��

��Ǧ��ǯ��Ƥ��Ǧ��Ǧtling champion, senior Drew Daniels has the core strength to stop a bowling ball. The drive which propelled him to state is the same drive we hope to carry into all our future endeavors.

��

��This two-time national organ champion has logged many hours playing the piano at RHS—not to mention his work reaching out the the freshmen as a retreat co-chair.

��

��Ǧ��soccer player, senior Brendan Marquart is a natural choice for a foot. Many thrilling soccer games saw success from this top defender.

��

��Biner tore it up in athletics this ��Ǣ��Ƥ��soccer, cross country, track, rugby and polo make this talented lad well-deserving of a leg on the Rockhurst man.

Like Comment

��Students used ��ơ��the ultimate Rockhurst man were voted on by our senior class on the Facebook page “Prep News Rockhurst Man 2013.” Check out ��ƥ��Ǥ

2013 Prep News Ultimate Rockhurst Man

Instagram today is used to show off students’ artsy filtered photographs to their many followers.

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��ơ��ơ��The Last Great Class! #LGCKansas City, Mo.

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Van Schloegel - CEIC@Vanz_tomakeherdance

Well, the time has come that my reign at the Prep News has come to an end. No more yelling at Romano Cheese or telling him to go home and take a shower. No more hour-long lunch breaks at McDonalds to avoid long work nights. Now I will be taking my talents to North Beach, a.k.a. Milwaukee. And thankfully I’m peacing out now because I ain’t about all this technology #lastgreatclass... Hit me up @ Vanz_tomakeherdance on Instagram for your mind to be blown by ��Ƥ��Ǥ

John Berrigan - CEIC@IKan’tSpel

Lebron, King Arthur, myself and Jay-Z all have one great thing in common — we’re kings. My kingdom: the Prep News. I’ve ruled the newspaper much like Don Quijote ruled La Mancha. In the heat of my fantasies I felt like I was essen-tial, but now that I’m reaching the end I am coming to realize that for the most part I just stumbled around, turned things in late, and watched Curran do all of the work. Next year I plan on conquering the city of Boston at Northeastern, but I’ll always fondly remember my time with Coach Dierks and the Prep News.

Danny Summers - A&E@DanBroman

Well, fellas, my noteworthy career as a high school journalist is coming to an ��Ǥ� � �� ơ� ��ǡ��Ǧgressive political propaganda and extremely jaded opinions on sports instead of actually writing my stories and making changes to page design. To be honest, it’s been one hell of a ride. As I venture into the world of economics and college golf at the University of Kansas next fall, I’m really going to miss getting yelled at ��ơ��ǡ��Ǥ

Frank Evans - BackPage@WhatTheFrank

I feel sorry for my successors. Seriously, come on; I may or may not be the ��Ƥ�� Ǥ� �� the Journalism Day at the University of Missouri in a white sliding-door van and triumphantly pranced out with a fatty stack of awards. That was the pinnacle �� Ǥ�� Ƥ�� palms, I knew that those years of diligently leaving workdays three hours early ��Ƥ��ơ�Ǥ

Whit Collins - Features@AWCollins

Well guys, here it is, my whole journalism career in one hundred words. There ��Ǥ��ƪ��Ǥ��ǡ��ǯ��ơ� ��ǡ�I didn’t even make it on the class t-shirt that had “everyone’s” names on it. The shirt never ended up getting printed, but I’m still #bitter about it... Curran. If you ��ǡ��Ƥ��Jayhawk, Daniel Summers.

Hank Elbert - Forum@KingHenry

��ƥ�� Ǧ��Prep News��ơ�ǡ� �� ƪ��Ǥ��ǯ��Ƥ��this year, and I think I’ve broken two ties. So I can safely say I was one of the most important players on the PN team. My slightly mediocre leadership role aside, I’m going to miss this job. Despite popular belief about how exhausting working on the paper is, some of my favorite memories at Rockhurst took place in this lab, and I will always recommend this job to anyone. Sleep is overrated.

John Avery - Sports@Johnny_Journalism

��ǡ��ǯ��Ǥ��ǯ��ǡ��Ƥ��wordage. So at this point, I recommend that you move on to either John Ber-��ǯ��Ǧ�ơ�Ǥ��ǯ��Ǥ��ǯ��ǡ��Ƥ��Ǥ��ǯ��put my blood, sweat and tears into this class—minus the blood, sweat and tears. I hope you guys enjoyed the sports pages, and let’s not ever forget: Go Royals!

Curran Steck - Design@Gramps

Michael Reardon - InDepth@Gameloose_Mike

Over my PN career, I have been a man of many names. I have been called Mon-signor Mike, Prison Mike, Hipster Mike, Chinese Mike, Date Mike and my all-time favorite, Gametight Mike. During my career, no other name has embodied my true essence the way Gametight Mike has. Whether it is turning in stories minutes be-fore deadline or completing my page just in time, I have always been #clutch. I got ice in my veins. Next year, I will be taking my talents to the University of Denver, where I will be skiing and listening to bands that you’ve never heard of.

Brennan Lee - News@MastaLi

By now, you guys all know Drake’s song where he says “Started from the bottom now we’re here,” where “here” refers to “on top.” My journalism career is the opposite of that. I won the prestigious Journalism award and now I’m a news editor. I started from the top, and now I’m here. One of the best memories of my downhill high school career will be getting yelled at by Coach Dierks for doing “grade school” level work on the front page. Hope-fully I won’t disappoint as much at the University of Notre Dame next year.

Ben Burch - Content@WhatsMyWordage?

Well, this is it, boys; the last thing the Hemingway of the Prep News��ơ� ��write for this paper. I know the couple of you who actually read the paper are bummed, but there’ll be no more excessively long feature stories coming from this guy. But in all seriousness, my newspaper career has been a sleep-deprived one but a fun one. And as I take my talents to KU next year, I’d like to thank Mr. ��ơ��work for this paper; it would’ve been utterly unsightly.

Senior Memories / / Lorenzo GatapiaWhere: Room 112, freshman year, Mr. Darby’s Advanced English homeroom.

Who: Jack Willnauer, Garrett Loehr, Riley Dunn, Hank Elbert, Stephen Hart, Ben Snider and myself.

What: We would go in there early on late starts and hang out (leaving the proper spelling of “Snider” on the whiteboard), and also throw credit/gift cards at each other from across the room as hard as we could. If you look in the right spots, there are still dinks in the walls...

I gotta be honest with you… this is probably the only thing I’ve written on my ��Ǥ��ǡ��ǯ��ơ�ǡ��ǯ��a lil’ lazy. Newspaper was the best decision I made at Rockhurst, and I’ll always miss the seven-hour workdays up in the J-Lab. #nosleep When I started in my J1 class, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but look where I am now: going to study journalism at Mizzou next year. #crazy

11May 10, 2013

#LASTGREATCLASSSince March 2006, Twitter has been taking over the internet... 140 characters at a time.

2013 Senior Section2

01

3

2009 2010 2011

2012

April 1

June 25

April 20

May 22

May 2 August 12

April 15January 12

December 7

Swine Flu out-break in the U.S. calls for a public

health emer-gency.

Michael Jackson dies of drug over-

dose.

Haiti rocked by 7.o-magnitude earthquake,

killing near 100,000.

BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig ex-

plodes, leaking 5 million barrels of

oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Jerry Sandusky

arrested for 50 counts of child sexual

abuse.

Osama Bin Laden killed by Seal

Team 6.

Joplin, MO, destroyed by a 3/4-mile wide

tornado, killing at least 140 people.

Michael Phelps wins his 19th

Olympic medal, become win-

ningest Olympian of all-time.

Terrorists ��ơ� ��

bombs during the Boston Marathon,

killing 3 and injuring 264.

Old coach

regains

head job

Hank Elbert

[email protected]

With the start of the 2013-2014 wrestling season, Mr. Rich Wikiera will take up the wres-tling head coaching position. He has held this role in the past and eagerly anticipates getting back with the team.

“I am very excited to get started, though I know what to expect, so I’m slightly apprehen-sive,” Coach Wikiera said.

Serving as head wrestling coach at Rockhurst from 1985 to 2006, Coach Wikiera gained a wealth of experience that makes him feel

prepared for the job he is about to reclaim.

Watching some of last year’s meets from the stands, Coach Wikiera was impressed at how hard the wrestlers at all levels worked; this gives him excite-ment about working with them in the future.

“I’m very big on being a tech-nician and maybe to some ex-tent a workaholic... The question is how hard the kids are willing to work” Coach Wikiera said.

This devotion to work is a hall-mark of Coach Wikiera’s coach-ing style, and it is his hope that this style will help the young ��Ƥ��Ǧcoming year.

“I want them to understand that this is their team, not mine. If people have ownership of something, they’re more apt to stick with it,” Coach Wikiera said.

Rival gets revenge in second

meeting, eliminates Rock

Battling for a faceoff, senior Gregory Massman fights for possession against his opponent from

Shawnee Mission South in the LAKC quarterfinals.

Bud Linville

Michael Reardon

[email protected]

The Hawklet lacrosse season ended Wednesday night as they lost 7-5 to the Shawnee Mission East Lancers in the semi-Ƥ�� ȋ��Ȍ��Ǥ

They entered the game the number one ��ǡ� �� Ǧ� �� 13-3 overall throughout the season, which included a nine-game winning streak.

The Hawklets were led by a strong corps of seniors who, throughout the season, car-ried the team to success.

“I am most proud of the seniors... The at-titude we had throughout the year was be-��ƪ��Ǧniors and sophomores,” Mr. Tim Reidy, head varsity lacrosse coach, said.

��Ǧdison Degen, who had team highs in assists ȋȌ�� ȋȌǤ� �� throughout the sea-son earned him a spot �� ǦMetro.

�� Ƥ��team was senior spe-cialist Gregory Mass-man who amassed a ��ơ� � ��just over 80 percent. Despite a mid-season concussion which left Massman out for four games, he was able to ��ǯ��ơ� ��Ǥ

��Ǧman Brooks Elder, who earned second team

��ǡ� ��ǡ��ǡ��Ƥ��ǡ�and Michael Cesena, defenseman, who each earned honorable mentions.

Despite beating Shawnee Mission East earlier in the year, the Hawk-lets were unable to match their former performance.

Up 4-3 at halftime, the Lancers were able to pull away in the third quarter and Ƥ�� Ǧter, widening the margin to 7-3. The Hawklets were able to make it close with two late goals, making it 7-5 with two minutes left. However, the lead was too much to over-come.

��ǡ�it was still a successful season.

“Win or lose, we had a lot of fun this sea-

son. The rivalry we have built with some of these teams locally now has been a lot of fun,” Coach Reidy said.

��ǯ�Ƥ��ǡ�� Ǥ�

“We came into the season knowing that we would be very successful in the new league, so the ultimate goal was winning it ��ǡǳ��ǡ��Ǧer, said.

They ended the season winning 13 of their last 15 games but fell just short of their ultimate goal, a championship.

“We wanted to win that championship, especially because we are seniors, but al-though we fell short, I am glad to have shared the season with these guys,” Degen said.

Senior experience gives team foundationWhit Collins

[email protected]

With the district tournament beginning May 13, the Rock-�� Ƥ��round bye after clinching a num-ber one seed with a crucial win against Lee’s Summit West on ��Ǥ

“Our win against Lee’s Sum-�� Ǥ� � ��time you can beat a district op-ponent during the regular sea-son is a key to a top one or two position in the [district] tourna-ment,” Mr. Jim DeGraw, head varsity baseball coach, said.

The team currently sits at 15-5 and is currently ranked tenth among Class 5 teams accord-ing to the Missouri High School �� Ǥ��Ǧ��South, the team bounced back with a 5-1 win over Olathe North.

The team’s success is due in part to the leadership that comes from a senior-laden team.

“[Seniors] Victor Broncato and Todd Czinege have been

the two leaders out there on �� Ƥ��Ǥ� ȏ��ǯ�� Ȑ� ��you can have one or two seniors step and make some noise,” Coach DeGraw said.

�� number of seniors playing base-ball at the next level next year, one senior has stood out among the rest.

“I think its no secret [senior] Logan Gray is our big-time guy; everyone knows that. He’s got a great glove at shortstop, and

he’s batting over .500. He’s also a great pitcher, but we need him ��Ƥ��ǯ��chance to pitch that often. Once �� ơ�� while probably utilize him more on the mound,” Coach DeGraw said.

While the team is dominated by seniors, two juniors have made key impacts on both sides of the ball throughout the sea-son.

ǲ �� ơ� � ��

Vickers are two juniors who have really stepped up this year. ȏ��ơ�Ȑ��of the lineup, and [Vickers] bats ��ơ� Ǥ� � �� of our best bats,” senior Travis ��ǡ��Ƥ��ǡ��Ǥ�

Unlike last season, when a devastating injury sidelined the number one pitcher, Mr. Henry Weiller, class of 2012, the team has been relatively lucky, with only a few minor injuries that have sidelined a few players,

like senior Czinege, who has been out the last few weeks.

“We’ve been pretty lucky ��ǤǤǤ��long as we have all of our play-�� ơ��ǡ� ��ǯ��all we can ask,” Coach DeGraw said.

The team will face the win-ner of Lee’s Summit and Belton �� Ƥ�� by Rockhurst High School at the Missouri 3&2 Baseball Complex at 4 p.m.

Working to get the final out, senior Logan Gray begins his wind up and

throws towards home.

Pierce Heigel

PSPORTS12 May 10, 2013

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Lacrosse beaten by Lancers

in semifinals

-Mr. Tim Reidy

head coach

““ ““Win or lose, we had

a lot of fun this sea-

son. The rivalry we

have built with some

of these teams locally

now has been a lot of

fun.

Charlie Gotschall

Warming up before the inning,

senior Brody Nutt throws a pitch.

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Frank Evans

[email protected]

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Serving the ball, junior John Nogalski tries to get in many repetitions at practice.

Leate Rodgers

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Nusbaum leaves role as basketball coach

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Danny Summers

[email protected]

Van Schloegel

[email protected]

PPNN SPORTS13May 10, 2013

Tennis team dominates, looks to state

hangeshangesCȈ� ��Ǥ��

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J.P. Decker

Mr. Mark Nusbaum answers ques-tions from reporters after state.

Sophomore Patrick Michaelis practices returning the ball, in preparation for districts.

Leate Rodgers

PSPORTS14 May 10, 2013

Life, a frustrating

gameFor as long as I can remem-

ber, golf has been my one true passion. There is nothing that pleases me more than the sat-isfaction I receive after a good round of golf.

Almost every morning, I wake up and think about what I can do today to get better at the game of golf. I am always trying to gain an edge. During the sum-mer months, this is especially true.

Ever since the eighth grade, I have played a highly competitive golf schedule during the sum-mer with the hopes of receiving a college golf scholarship. Last summer (going into my senior year), the pressure was on.

�� Ƥ�� Ƥ��Ǧishes at tournaments, ultimately propelling me to being recruited by multiple Big 12, SEC and Big 10 programs. In order to receive �ơ��ǡ� �� play well in the summer tourna-ments going into my senior year.

The beginning of the sum-mer was marred with an awful tendonitis injury. I was forced to limit my practice time and was constantly unprepared when I teed it up.

The coaches weren’t as in-terested anymore. I was falling victim to the old adage of, “you are only as good as your last at bat.” Once I got healthy again, I started practicing for upwards of eight hours per day. I was overdoing it.

Looking back, I rarely social-ized with my friends and I was so entranced in golf that I lost sight of what truly matters.

Even when I left the golf course, all I thought about was golf and I continued to worry about what people would think �� Ǥ� � ��Ƥ��self-worth by a golf score.

I was haunted by trying to im-press college golf coaches and my peers. I wasn’t playing for the joy of the game and self-sat-isfaction, I was playing for other people.

Although I ended up receiv-ing a scholarship to play golf at the University of Kansas, a place and program that I truly love, the whole recruitment and sum-mer was a stark dose of reality for me.

We all need balance in our ��Ǥ� � ��Ƥ�� athletic performance leaves us empty in the end. I have man-aged to make peace and have re-discovered the joy in playing golf for the sheer element of self-satisfaction. I think back to that little boy that fell in love with the game at a young age. And I play for him and him alone.

Living in the first laneSenior pushes himself and his

teammatesBrennan Lee

[email protected]

The young athlete slowly strolls to the starting line. He eyes the competition, mak-ing mental notes of whom he thinks he can beat.

He gets into his starting position. He knows he wants to beat out his competi-tors, but perhaps his biggest competition is himself. He wants to beat his best time.

“On your marks!” the starter yells.He takes a deep breath

and thinks back to the prac-tices from previous weeks. He knows he has worked hard and has prepared for this to the best of his ability. This is what he works for.

The starter raises the gun. The athlete ��ǯ��Ǣ��ǯ��Ƥ��Ǥ

After winning four state championships in swimming, once as a captain, on top of a state championship in track for the 4x800-meter relay race, one might expect a high ��Ƥ��Ǥ� ��Ǧnior Alex Lombardo.

ǲ�� Ƥ�� one,” Mr. Michael Dierks, varsity track and Ƥ��all four years, said.

Lombardo started running for a team in �� Ƥ�� ǡ� �� Ǥ��However, during the summer before his seventh grade, he placed third at nationals in the individual 800-meter race.

“I was lucky to be naturally talented at running and I was more physically devel-oped earlier than most kids,” Lombardo said.

This kind of newfound, unexpected suc-cess was not a one-time experience for ��Ǥ� � �� Ƥ��

Rockhurst, he was the only freshman to make it to state. That same year for track, ��Ƥ��Ǧ��ǡ�and he would do the same the next two years.

“I can still remember the day [Lombar-do] pushed [Mr.] Michael Williams, [class of 2010] on the 200-meter workout that we did,” Coach Dierks said. “It was just like, ‘Whoa! This kid’s for real.’”

�� ǡ� Ƥ�� Ǧdo runs with on a daily basis is something that many attribute his success to.

“Alex was one of the most determined runners on the 4x800-meter ‘Dream Team,’” Mr. Tanner Shuey, class of 2012 and Lombardo’s teammate on the state championship relay team, said. “He wanted to win more than anything, and that’s what re-ally set him apart from other run-ners.”

Running on the relay team was, in a way, something new for Lom-bardo. He was always certainly a successful runner on the individual level, but translating that to a team ��ơ��Ǥ

“We always hung out together a lot and after state sophomore and junior year we would go down

to the lake together,” Lombardo said. “We had a really strong bond and that was ��Ƥ��Ǥ

However, Lom-bardo is the only one of the four relay team members that did not graduate last year, leaving him as the natural leader on this year’s 4x800-meter team. This leader-ship role might seem like a new one, seeing that, according to Lombardo, none of the four that won state necessarily “lead” one another. But in reality, it’s something that he’s al-ways been doing.

“For me personally, [Lombardo] was the best training partner. He worked very

Despite limited races, track and field team poised for post-season success

Michael Reardon

[email protected]

Sophomores Michael Barry and Eli Cosner race

neck-and-neck at Rockhurst Relays

William Atha

State series meets begin this Saturday for �� Ƥ�� compete in the district championships at Raymore-Peculiar High School. They hope to win a plaque for the second consecutive year.

“Our top goal is to bring a district plaque �� Ƥ�� ǡǳ��Ǥ� �� ǡ� �� Ƥ��coach, said.

Not having to compete in the conference meet like the rest of the schools in the dis-trict, the team has had two straight weeks of preparation for the meet and will enter the district championships well-rested and fo-cused on what they want to accomplish.

“[Not being in a conference] is a slight dis-advantage this one year because we have not had a lot of racing, so [the conference meet] would be one more race. The positive I look at is that we get to train really hard for two weeks without having to prepare for a race,” Coach Dierks said.

Weather has played a role in the lack of races this year, with the Lee’s Summit Invita-tional rained out, which was scheduled as the last varsity meet of the year. In total, there ��Ƥ�� Ƥ��Ǧpeted in, compared to the normal eight per year. This has made this year’s squad less ex-perienced than those in past years.

Despite the inexperience, the team has seen some major success throughout the season, especially at the competitive KU re-lays.

The 4x1600-meter team, composed of sophomores Carson Bode and William Thompson and seniors Carl Nelson and Alex Lombardo, Ƥ�� ǣǤ� �� Ƥ��Ƥ��Ǧish and new school record.

In addition to strong per-formances in relays, there have also been several standout individual perfor-mances.

Senior Alex Lombardo, who mainly ran short distance races last year,

now has team-best times in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter races.

“Usually you increase your distance in your sophomore or junior year to learn race strategy, and here Lombardo has done it in just one year, so that’s a huge credit to him ��ơ��and the attitude he carries,” Coach Dierks said.

Bode has also had success this year, breaking two minutes in the 800-meter run, as well as being a part of the 4x1600m team and breaking 50 seconds in the 4x400-meter and 400-meter run.

�� Ƥ��ǡ� �� Ǧnior Curtis Goldmon, who has posted the second best triple jump in Missouri this year

at 45 feet 10 inches. He also leads the team in long jump, where he placed fourth at the KU relays.

According to Coach Dierks, what sets this team apart and makes it unique has been its team chemistry and camarade-rie.

“What [team chemistry] does is when you begin to doubt yourself there’s some-body there to pick you up, challenge you, cheer you on, and you know that it’s not just

you,” Coach Dierks said.

-Mr. Michael Dierks,

head coach

““ ““What [team chemistry] does

is when you begin to doubt yourself, there’s somebody there to pick you

up.

Summer’s

Night By: Danny Summers

hard during our workouts and he pushed me to levels that I probably wouldn’t have achieved throughout the season,” Mr. Kev-in Jantsch, class of 2012 and member of the state champion 4x800-meter team, said.

But Lombardo has not only lead this year, he has performed. He has medaled in every race this year, including an eighth ��Ƥ��Ǧ��Ǧlays and a victory and school record in

the 4x1600-meter race, also at KU Relays.

“He’s great at motivating the team and knows a lot about the sport,” sophomore Carson Bode, fellow 4x800-meter

teammate, said. “He’s a lot of fun to be around, and he’s always working really hard.”

When the gun goes �ơ��ǡ�Lombardo will be run-ning the 4x800-meter,

1600-meter, and open 800-meter.

The last two years, he made it past districts in both

the 4x800-meter and 800-me-ter runs, and while the 1600 is a new event for Lombardo, he

does not have any lower expec-tations.

3

2

1Courtesy of MIASHA

Senior Alex Lombardo poses with 4x800-

meter state championship trophy

PPNN May 10, 2013 SPORTS 15

Decorated coach steps downAs Mr. Jason Huska, class of 2012, stands

over his ball on the 18th green of the state championship, a quiet tension

falls over the hundreds who sur-round him. He knows that his

next putt is a big one; there’s no bigger title than “individ-ual state champion” in high school golf. And as Mr. Hus-

ka gently moves his putter back and through the ball, his heart pounds as the

white dot nears the cup.�� ơ� ��ǡ��

the putt with anticipation. There’s a lot the man and Mr. Huska have in common in this

moment— they’re both sickly ner-vous, they both want the putt to

go in, they’re even both wearing the same Rockhurst golf shirt. �� ơ��Ȅ�

Mr. Mike O’Leary, head golf coach, doesn’t have a put-ter in his hand.

As the ball drops into the hole, Mr. Huska �� Ƥ��Ǥ� � �� like the happiest man

in the world. And looking on from the grand-stands, immensely proud of his player’s suc-cess, Coach O’Leary feels the same way.

Since he joined the Rockhurst golf program as an assistant coach in

1991, Coach O’Leary, who will be retiring as head golf coach af-ter this season, has frequented

the grandstands of count-less high school golf tour-naments. Being a part of ten state championship teams, six of them com-ing since he took over as head coach in 2001, Coach

O’Leary has a lot to be proud of. But while he acknowledges that the trophies

and awards are nice, the things Coach O’Leary is proud of are much less material.

“Medals are not my aim. My goal has always been [to show my players] that dedication, hard work and mental tenacity usually bring success,” Mr. O’Leary said.

Through his presence at tournaments and daily practices, Coach O’Leary keeps constant contact with his players, which puts him in the perfect position to watch them grow, not only as golfers but as men.

“It’s fun to watch [my players’] golf games mature, [but] it’s [also] fun to watch their per-sonalities mature, their academics mature, to

watch them pick colleges,” Coach O’Leary said. Along with being able to watch the matura-

tion of his players, Coach O’Leary is also able to form strong relationships with them.

“My relationship with Coach O’Leary has grown from a coach/player relationship to more of a personal relationship over the years,” se-nior Danny Summers, who has been on varsity for four years, said. “He’s been a constant; he’s always there to teach me and help me out when I need it.”

��ǯ��ǯ��ƪ��not only to his players, but to the whole Rock-hurst golf program.

Joining the team as an assistant coach, Coach O’Leary, along with Mr. Steve Ryan, former head coach, started making big changes to the

golf program. They added many more tourna-ments and matches to the schedule, increased �� ƥ�� ǡ� ��ǡ��Coach O’Leary taking over the junior varsity squad, put more of a stress on improving the junior varsity team. These changes made the program much more competitive.

“[Coach O’Leary] would always work his competitive magic and keep the golfers from getting too relaxed... It cre-ated a tremendous team,” Coach Ryan said.

Over the next ten years, Coach Ryan and Coach O’Leary became a dynamic coaching team. While Coach Ryan was more of an administra-tor and organizer, Coach O’Leary, himself a high school golf state cham-pion, did more hands-on work.

But after Coach Ryan’s retirement as head coach after the 2000 season, Coach O’Leary took on more responsibil-ity, becoming the new head coach. In addition to taking over more administrative roles, Coach O’Leary once again revamped the golf program, mak-ing it into what it is today. He added even more quan-tity and quality to the tournament schedule, created another junior varsity team, and greatly improved the Rock-hurst Alumni Golf Tournament, which raises the money that allows the team to travel and enter into more tournaments.

With the amount of work Coach O’Leary has put into the golf program since he took over, it is no wonder he’s won six state championships in just ten years as head coach. And with the depth and experience of this year’s varsity team, he hopes to add a seventh.

But while the suc-cess of this team at state would be a bonus for Coach O’Leary, the thing that really mat-�� Ƥ�� their lives as a whole, as it has been for every other team he has coached.

“Being able to watch [my players] mature... That’s what coaching is all about,” Coach O’Leary said.

�� ơ� � �� Ƥ�� both the district and sectional tournaments, the golf team is focused on the state tourna-ment. At sectionals, the team shot a 296, their lowest score all year.

��ơ� � ��start; large snowfalls pushed back tryouts and forced the team to start the season with less practice than normal.

“We had a really slow start because of all the snow we had, so when we travelled to ��ǡ��Ƥ��Ǧment experience this year,” senior Patrick Byrne, varsity team member, said.

�� Ƥ�� Ƥ�� ǡ��Ǥ� ��Ƥ��the top, this was viewed as a solid accom-plishment for the team.

ǲ�� Ƥ�� middle of the pack against some of the best

teams in Nevada, Washington and California shows how good of golfers they all are,” Mr. Mike O’Leary, head coach, said.

A team high point came a week later at the Bulldog Battle tournament, where the team pulled out a close, one-shot victory.

“Sitting at the scoreboard of the Bull-dog Battle, wondering if we would win, was ��Ǧ��Ƥ��Ǥ� ��won it, it was a huge relief,” Byrne said.

According to coaches and golfers alike, the competition facing the team this year ��ƥ��Ǥ��ǡ� ��ǡ� �� Ƥ�� depth and experience.

�� Ƥ�� Ǧing state champions; Byrne, senior Drew Hill, senior Danny Summers and senior Brian Wade. Both Summers and Wade are former all-state athletes. This wealth of experience has created a unique situation.

“Having four returning seniors on a team is odd. Usually you don’t have four kids who can keep their game at that level for that

long,” Coach O’Leary said. However, the team has also excelled due

to the success of sophomore Peter Dierks. “Peter has really exceeded expectations

this year. He has been one of our best play-ers and has been instrumental in our suc-cess,” Summers said.

From tryouts, Dierks began carving out his spot on the team, posting better scores than most of the varsity players.

“Having a younger kid who wasn’t on var-sity last year beat out [the seniors] at tryouts woke them up a bit,” Coach O’Leary said.

After last year’s state tournament, the golfers have had to adjust to this year’s tougher competition, according to Coach O’Leary.

Nonetheless, with some low points and learning moments behind them, and com-��ơ� ��ǡ��ready to hone their game and make a run at a title repeat.

“If they cut their mental errors in half, we will win state,” Coach O’Leary said.

tate Runtate RunS

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After delayed start, golfers on the riseHank Elbert

[email protected]

Ben Burch

[email protected]

P16 May 10, 2013

The Rockhurst Senior Class Award of Excellence

and Achievement

The Carl G. Kloster S.J.

Award, or Special R Award, is

given to a senior R Award

winner who best exem-

��Ƥ�� Ǥ�The R Award winners,

as Mr. Greg Harkness,

��ǡ� �� ǡ� ��Ǧ��Ǥ�

�� years, leadership and de-

votion to those activities

in which senior Billy Ma-

�� Ƥ��his high school career.

“I think being a leader and trying to do as

��ǡ��Ǧball team, SGA, and the entire school made an

impact on receiving this amazing award,” Malo-

ney said.

This dedication has been visible especially in

his senior year, namely by being co-captain of

the yell leaders. Alongside senior Brendan Mar-

��ǡ�� Ǥ

“[Maloney] was great to work with all year,”

��ǡ��Ǧ��leaders, said. “He was always very organized

and also very hard working.”

Maloney has also been a key member on the

baseball team. There, he has played starting

catcher, both this year and part of last year.

The other activities Maloney was involved in

��Ǧ��Ǧ��ǡ��being statistician keeper and manager for the

basketball team. According to Maloney, after

�� Ǧ��ǡ��in any way possible.

Arts Department

The National School Orchestra Award: Michael Moncure, ’13

The Chopin Piano Award: Pete Spalitto, ’15

The National School Choral Award: David Meredith, ’13

The Rockhurst Choral Spirit Award: Drew Jurden, ’13

The Louis Armstrong Jazz Improvisa-tion Award: Lorenzo Gatapia, ’13

The John Phillip Sousa Band Award: John Percival, ’15

The Woody Herman Jazz Improvisa-tion Award: Houston Smith, ’15

The Ignatian Pastoral Music Award for time and service: Riley Dunn, ’13

The Visual Arts Award: Evan Brown, ’13

The Ceramic Arts Award: Harry Donaldson, ’13

The Rockhurst Theatre Award: Zachary Nickerson, ’14

The Rockhurst Theatre Tech Award: Kyle Klinginsmith, ’14

The Drape Journalism Award: Curran Steck, ’13

The Yearbook Award: Peter Bosma, ’13

Principles of Journalism : Paul Heinemann, ’15

Newspaper I: Connor Prochnow, ’14

Newspaper II: Curran Steck, ’13 and Van Schloegel ’13

Computer Edu-

cation Depart.

Computer Essentials: Mikey Je-nia, ’16, Alexander Tangen, ’16 and Ethan Szablewski, ’16

Computer Management: Daniel Henry, ’16 and John Leisman, ’16

Automated Accounting: Andrew Krieger, ’14

Business Law: Lukas Ohnemus, ’13 Visual Basic I: Joey Crowe, ’14 and

Bryan Melland, ’14Visual Basic II: Jake Lamb, ’13Programming in JAVA: Jackson

Wren, ’14 Bernie Kreikemeier and Buddy

Worth Excellence in Technology Award: Nathaniel Banderas, ’13

English Depart.

Freshman: John Leisman Sophomore: Jackson RobertsJunior: Austin MeyerSenior: John Fox

Foreign Lan-

guage Depart.

Chinese 1: Robert Beers, ’13 and Chase Uebelhart, ’15

French 1: Quang Nguyen, ’16 and Phillip Wooley, ’16

French 2: Cullen O’Dear, ’15 and Owen Bahner ’15

French 3: Connor Prochnow, ’14French 4: Doc Reed, ’14 Greek 1: Austin Meyer, ’14 Greek 2: Peter Bosma, ’13 Latin 1: Alex Tangen, ’16 Latin 2: Kenneth Berglund, ’15 Latin 3: Austin Meyer, ’14 AP Virgil: Zach Snodell, ’13Spanish 1: Will Travis, ’16, Blaise

As Mr. Greg Harkness, prin-

cipal, stood on the stage

�� ơ� � �� Ƥ��Ǧtions for the Senior Class

Award of Excellence and

��ǡ� �� Ǧdents, especially the se-

niors, awaited either the

name of seniors John Fox

��ǤThe preliminary votes

�� Ǧed in another ballot, which held

only those two names.

�� ǡ� �� names were called.

“For me to be able to share

the award with anyone, I

��ǯ�� ȏ��Ȑǡǳ��Ǥ

��ǡ��knew he wanted to be involved,

and held nothing back, working

�� Ǧcess Center. There, he helped

��Ǧ��ǡ�� Ƥ��ǡ��Ǥ

From there, he started playing

��ǡ��and at his own parish, as well as

saying readings and doing any-

��Ǥ��being inspired by the freshman

��ǡ� �� crew his sophomore year, was

��ǡ��co-chair of the retreat his senior

year. He was also the assistant

rector of a Kairos retreat.

All that involvement did not

�ơ�� ǡ�as he was still able to maintain

�� ǡ��stellar GPA.

ǲ��

been one of the most important

��years, and I think this is a

�� means to me and every-

thing I hope I mean to

��ǡǳ��ǤIt is almost a perfect sto-

ry for Fox to win the award

�� ǡ� �� Ǧ

�� Ǥ� � �� a co-chair of the freshman

��ǡ� �� every little detail.

Besides his involvement with

the freshman retreat, Fox has

been a key player in SGA, often

working behind the scenes to

design t-shirts or create logos for

��Ǥ��Ǧident of the National Honors So-

ciety, and was a member of the

��ǡ��Ǧing an excellent GPA and scoring

a perfect 36 on his ACT.

“It was pretty exciting to

�� ǯ�� the years,” Fox said.

Starting in freshman year theology, there are

��ǯ��Ǥ

��ǲ��Ǧ��ǡǳ� �� Ƥ�� ǣ� �� ǡ� �� Ǧ��ǡ� ��ǡ� ��ǡ�� Ǧ��Ǥ�

��ǡ��Ǧ�� Ǧ�� Ƥ��Ǥ

Ever since his freshman year, Elbert has

�� Ǥ� �� Ǧ��ǡ��ƥ��ǡ��ǡ��classmates, serving others has been his passion.

“The things I did that led to the award mean a

��ǡ��an honor to be recognized this way,” Elbert said.

��ǯ�� ƥ��ǡ� �� held the position as pastoral chair. There, he

helped coordinate both class

and all-school Masses, as

well as things like prayer

services.

��Ǧstant service for the

betterment of the

school and its com-

��ǡ� �� Ƥ�� ǲ��ǳ��

go on to Creighton Uni-

versity next year with

�� belt.

Foreign Lan-

guage Depart.

Continued

Rebman, ’16 and Andrew Krieger, ’14

Spanish 2: Peter Spalitto, ’15Spanish 3: Jackson Roberts, ’15

and Peter Stanley, ’14Spanish 4: Riley Dunn, ’13 and

Brennan Lee, ’13

Mathematics De-

partment

Freshman: Daniel HenrySophomore: Jackson RobertsJunior: ��Ƥ��Senior: Sung Wan (PK) KimProbabilities & Statistics: Nicholas

Hense

Physical Educa-

tion Department

Freshman: A.J. TaylorSophomore: ��ơ�Junior: Dominic SpalittoSenior: Robert Beers

Science Depart.

Applied Science: Martin Rados-evic, ’16

General Biology: Zach LeMense, ’16

Honors Biology: Jack Barry, ’15AP Biology: Jackson Roberts, ’15General Chemistry: Spencer

Porsch, ’14Honors Chemistry: Patrick Corbin,

’15 and Alex Arreguin, ’14AP Chemistry: Austin Meyer,

’14 Human Physiology: Jacob Goe, ’13

and Danny Mitchell, ’13 Fundamental Physics: Henry

Adams, ’13Honors Physics: Danny Mitchell,

’13AP Physics: PK Kim, ’13

Social Studies

Department

Ancient Civilizations: Ivor Vinsant, ’16

Modern World History: Aaron McGovern, ’15

AP Mod. World History: Patrick Corbin, ’15

AP U. S. History: Austin Meyer, ’14U. S. History: Ryan Fielder, ’14 AP American Gov: Brennan Lee,

’13American Gov: Stephen Hart, ’13AP Comparative Politics: Joseph

Simon, ’13 Economics: Todd Czinege, ’13History of the KC region: Grant

Gotschall, ’13

Theology Depart.

Freshman Systematic Theology: Nicholas Nazzaro and John Leisman

Sophomore Scripture: Kenneth Berglund and Aaron McGov-ern

Junior Church in the Modern World: Andrew Krieger and Austin Meyer

Senior Catholic Faith In Practice: Peter Bosma and Hank Elbert, ’13

Liturgy & Worship: David Wilcox, ’13

The Carl G. Kloster S.J.

Award

The Jesuit Secondary

Education Association

Award

Class of 2013Victor ArmstrongPeter BosmaAlex DalyRiley DunnHank ElbertRobbie EnglertBryan Ezell

John FoxJoe GibsonThomas GibsonAbram HawkinsSun Wan (PK) KimSang Seung (Jay) LeeGarrett LoehrBill Maloney

Brendan MarquartJulian MarshallGarrett McMindesDalton PrinsVan SchloegelJulian TorresAndrew WattsPete Wendland

David WilcoxMcKale WileyBrandon WilliamsJordan Willis

Class of 2014Matt BrocatoPiercyn Charbonneau

John ChazhoorNile CobbRowan DeckerCharlie GotschallAndrew HawkinsParker HeinzeMichael Krebs �ơ� ��

Thomas McCormackShea McEnerneyJules NazzaroJacob PereiraTimothy RipperCody SiemiatkowskiCanyon SmithHosung Won

Class of 2015Aaron BakerTom GordonPierce HeigelPaul HeinemannNathan Hill

Class of 2016Lewis ChapmanNicholas Nazzaro

RA

wa

rd

Win

ne

rs

Awards assembly recognizes excellence in many areas

Riley Dunn John Fox

Hank Elbert

Billy Maloney

Stories written by: Brennan Lee [email protected]

may 2013 edition

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